In a way, he's sort of like a talented competitor on "American Idol" or "The Voice" or whatever else is out there on TV. It appears he's got the chops, but does he have the staying power?

Zach Petrick won't argue that point. Yes, the right-hander was quite the story last year, initially climbing from nowhere — the land of NAIA baseball being almost nowhere — and earning distinction as the Minor League Pitcher of the Year of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Yet he's a novelty act no more.

But now dispatched back to the Springfield Cardinals this season, Petrick knows something important that casual observers may not seen while congratulating him over the winter.

In essence, he will not stay on a starter's track if he's only a five-inning pitcher.

"That's one big part about being bitter about last season was how I ended. I didn't go very deep into games," Petrick said Tuesday at Hammons Field, his final stop last season during a whirlwind, three-league climb through the farm.

"That may have been from fatigue," Petrick said. "That's one big thing I want to work on this season, learning how to go deep into games. How do I start a game where I can stay consistent?"

Petrick headlines an intriguing starting rotation for Double-A Springfield, which opens at home in a 7:10 p.m. first pitch Thursday.

A pair of former Pac-12 Conference Friday night starters in Kurt Heyer (Arizona) and Sam Gaviglio (Oregon State) pitched in Class A leagues last season; while right-hander Seth Blair, the 46th overall selection of the 2010 draft, lends much experience after 129 innings here last year. Another returnee is left-hander Jonathan Cornelius.

Expect an eventual arrival from Marco Gonzales, a 2013 first-round draft pick who was slowed this spring and will open at high Class A Palm Beach.

But much buzz now is on Petrick. He went undrafted out of NAIA's Northwestern of Ohio in 2012, signed after the draft and less than two years later is rated No. 15 among trade publication Baseball America's Top 30 St. Louis prospects.

On Petrick's to-do list is deploying both a swing-and-miss changeup and an earlier-in-the-count curveball, said the team's pitching coach, Randy Niemann.

Of Petrick's nine Texas League starts, five lasted only five innings, another only 31/3. To be fair, it was his first full year in pro baseball and he was taking two online college courses to complete his business degree.

"He's a guy that throws a lot of strikes but seems to have a lot of high pitch-count innings," Niemann said. "Part of it is because his stuff is very good and he locates it so well that hitters tend to hit a lot of foul balls that spoil good pitches, as opposed to putting them in play."

Petrick's focus appears on target, despite the whirlwind of notoriety. A year ago, he finished 7-3 with a 1.99 earned run average in 113 innings. Along the way, he issued only 22 walks and struck out 122.

He then returned to Northwestern over the winter and worked out in its new indoor facility, often teaching former teammates some new tricks of the trade.

But Petrick also tackled a new diet, and now is up six pounds to 200 from a year ago. Even better, he participated in big-league camp with St. Louis this spring and kept his mouth shut, his ears open.

"I'm not looking at it as pressure to succeed, but confidence to know I've done it before," Petrick said. "That's what the Cardinals have done for me, just pounded that confidence into me and put me in the right situation. Now I just have to show I can do it consistently."

RHP Kurt Heyer, the opening-night starter and a key member of Arizona's College World Series winner in 2012, was a nine-game winner in two Class A leagues a year ago. "It's an honor," Heyer said of the Double-A assignment. "I was expecting to try to make it as I possibly can, but I really didn't expect this. I'm just happy the organization saw something in me and wanted to give me a shot."

RHP Sam Gaviglio, a fifth-round draft pick in 2011 out of Oregon State and sinkerballer, made seven starts for high Class A Palm Beach last year before missing most of the season because of a forearm flexor strain. "Last year you'd pitch here and you'd hear crickets," Gaviglio said in spring training in Jupiter, Fla., of his excitement to be a Double-A team that's well-supported.

RHP Seth Blair could be the glue to the rotation, given his Texas League experience. Despite a 5.07 season ERA in 22 starts, his finish was mostly encouraging. Of his final seven starts, six lasted at least six innings. "I think one thing you're going to see out of the guys in the rotation is that everybody competes and that's real fun to watch," Blair said during spring training.

LHP Jonathan Cornelius (6-6, 4.46, 78.2 IP last year) built a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings here last August. He pitched for NCAA Division II Florida Tech in 2011 before the Cardinals drafted him in the 24th round. "I kind of like the fact I'm the only lefty in the rotation, so I'll give the other team another look," Cornelius said Tuesday.